From Gnats to Nat

Please bear with me today as I take a long way around to the point I want to make.

One of the things I love about this time of year is the absence of gnats — at least on the colder days. What a delight to not have to blink, blow, swat and wave them away. Don’t ask me why, other than the similar sound of the words, but as I was basking in no gnats, I began to remember a great documentary I watched a few months ago about Nat “King” Cole. I know that’s a stretch, but now you have some insight into how my mind works; not always in a straight line!

It was a well done story of this incredibly gifted musician who entertained our generation as well as our parents (Born 1919, died 1965 at the age of 45). The cause of his death was lung cancer (he had been a very heavy cigarette smoker).

Anyone who has ever heard his music would agree that it is unforgettable. Forgive the play on words re the song, “Unforgettable” originally released in 1951 with the Nelson Riddle orchestra. In 1991, after Elvis Presley’s musical director Joe Guercio had the idea, Cole’s original 1951 recording of the song was edited and remixed to create a duet with his daughter, Natalie. It is one of my favorites; I hum it for days every time I hear it.

But here’s the other thing that stood out to me in the documentary of his life. In August 1948, Cole purchased a house from Col. Harry Gantz, the former husband of the silent film actress Lois Weber in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The Ku Klux Klan, still active in Los Angeles well into the 1950s, responded by placing a burning cross on his front lawn. Members of the property-owners association told Cole they did not want any “undesirables” moving into the neighborhood. Cole retorted, “Neither do I. And if I see anybody undesirable coming in here, I’ll be the first to complain.” He handled the whole incident very graciously.

We’ve come a long way since that time toward abolishing racism in our culture, but there are still vestiges of it that need to be rooted out. One of the institutions in our culture that is still largely segregated is the church. If you think about it, that’s the one institution where we should be more united than anywhere else, but sadly, that’s not yet the case.

I suppose all of this was working in my subconscious after sharing dinner Friday night with my son’s sociology teacher who is also planting a multi ethnic church in the Cordele area. Right now it’s a “house church” because they meet in some of the members’ homes but of course they are looking to attract more members and grow into a bigger fellowship of believers. If you’re interested, contact Robbie Edalgo, Robbie Edalgo, cordelealliance@gmail.com.

I hope you’re enjoying this gnat free respite as much as I am as we look forward to celebrating the freedom and blessings we all cherish this Thanksgiving season.

Thanks for reading All About Seniors. See you next week!

Bill Milby, CSA, is a Certified Senior Advisor and a Director of Visiting Angels® of Macon, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA/

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